Welcome to the Babies and Children with Heart Problems group. Learning that your baby or child has a heart problem is devastating. This group is a place for parents of children with heart defects to share information and offer advice and support to each other. Please introduce yourself and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I'm Kathie, one of the group owners. I've been a part of this board for nearly four years, since our daughter Amelia was diagnosed prenatally with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. We were devastated and terrified, and it helped so much to be part of a community where other people knew how we felt and had been through the tough times, and come out the other side. Amelia has had three open heart surgeries to provide a palliative fix to her heart (it doesn't function like a normal heart, but it's good enough to allow her to live a normal life). She'll be four in December and is doing wonderfully. The members of this board have supported me through many difficult times and I'm so grateful to be able to help others now.